Local police estimated that 400 gang members were involved in two fights in a massive wave of violence that swept the small town of Ripley, Tenn., Thursday evening.
The first fight broke out around 4 p.m. Thursday, and the second around 6 p.m., the Lauderdale’s Sheriff’s Office told ABC 24 News. Ripley is a town of approximately 7,500 about 50 miles northeast of Memphis, Tenn.
About 30 police officers patrolled the area with guns drawn, raiding homes on occasion, reports said. Only a handful of arrests were made, and no injuries were reported as of Thursday evening.
Law enforcement said the violence were possibly related to a nightclub shooting last weekend.
ABC 24 News reporter Marcus Holliday and his cameraman said a man threatened to shoot them if they did not leave the scene. Holliday, who described it as “an extremely tense and serious situation,” filed a police report, but the man was not found.
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